Cornflower Witch

Chapter 240 Dialogue at the City Wall
Upon receiving the crafted maple wood chest, Hiltiya carefully packed her important belongings inside, including clothes, weapons, armor, concocted potions, dried herbs, fruits and grains she had cultivated, gifts she had purchased, various spoils of war, and two full chests of gold coins.

These were stored in the 'Autumn Garden', the maple boxes hidden in the bushes under the trees, concealed and covered.

After making all the preparations, Hilti stood in the pool and bid farewell to everyone. Then, as the teleportation array lit up, her figure was transported to a place on the continent above and below the sky, and she instantly arrived in the world above the clouds.

A gentle breeze was blowing, the sky was azure, and the air was exceptionally fresh.

Upon returning to the surface continent, Hilti felt that everything in her field of vision had become much more vibrant, and the world was especially colorful.

She felt relaxed, her senses spreading along the grass beneath her feet. The surrounding natural environment seemed to have a faint life force, breathing and moving, welcoming her arrival.

Is this the world as seen through the eyes of a 'Third-Order Emerald Honey' life form?

Even though she was in the same world, Hilti felt something was very different, as if the original single color could be divided into five more delicate and different colors.

With every breath, she can influence the plant environment around her, causing it to grow, bloom, and bear fruit.

Upon entering the third stage, life has entered another level, where even unconscious actions and thoughts can affect the surrounding environment.

"Hello, may I ask where this is?"

After stepping out of the pool, Hilti asked the association wizard standing nearby.

"This is deep in the Grani Mountains. To the west is what used to be Regas, now it should be called the Kingdom of Antiy. To the east is the territory of the Shangdu Alliance."

"There are many dangerous beasts in the mountains. Only our association has established a base here; there are no other towns." For ordinary people, this place is indeed dangerous, but for the members of the Woodland Association, the environment here is actually quite good, far safer than the Shadow World.

"I understand, thank you." After figuring out the location, Hilti spent a day resting and exploring the small outpost before setting off the next day.

"Just keep walking west along the mountain path, but the path gradually disappears, and you'll need to find your way yourself," the staff stationed at the outpost told her before she left.

"By the way, you must be Miss Siltia. There are some items stored here by the 'Four Seasons Alliance'."

"For me?" the girl asked in surprise.

"Yes." The other person took out a wooden box and handed it to Hilti.

Upon opening the box, the girl saw a letter and a key inside, and quickly realized who had left it for her.

Mrs. Fran...

She opened the letter to find Madame Fran's elegant and clear handwriting.

In the letter, Lady Fran told Hilti that she would be leaving Scorched Stone City to return to her hometown in the north, a place that was extremely far away and she probably wouldn't be able to return to Regas for many years. She told Hilti that if she had time in the future, she could go there to find her.

In addition, Lady Fran entrusted the mansion in Scorched Stone City to Hiltija, and in a letter told Hiltija that she had left her some books and seeds in the cellar storage room of the mansion, which would probably be what Hiltija needed in the future.

After reading the letter, Hilti felt a pang of sadness, wondering if she would ever see Madame Fran again.

She received a lot of care from the other party in Jiaoshi City, which helped her through that vulnerable and ignorant period.

Don't worry, teacher, I will come to see you later and thank you properly.

Putting away the letter, Hiltiah mounted the white messenger horse that had followed her out of Lantern Town, bid farewell to the people at the outpost, and stepped into the mountains and forests, heading west.

……

Meanwhile, to the north of Valley City.

The elite army dispatched from the Kingdom of Antiy, having traversed most of Regas, finally arrived. They numbered approximately eight thousand and were stationed at the foot of the cliffs north of the city, upstream of Valley City, blocking the roads to the north of Valley City.

The gray felt tents stretched out in a neat row, and even before engaging these soldiers of the Kingdom of Antiy, the city's garrison was astonished by their strict discipline. These were not useless soldiers left behind in Regas; they were Antiy's elite troops temporarily withdrawn from the front lines of the war against Winter, currently commanded by 'Baron Hellhound' and 'Viscount Hound Bear,' both renowned generals of the Kingdom of Antiy, infamous for their ruthlessness.

Now, the other side has made it clear that they do not trust the Anti garrison left in Valley City and have refused to enter the city. They have sent a letter demanding that the current Valley City Lord, Fabre, leave the city and go to the military tent to receive a new edict from the Kingdom of Anti.

The current city lord of Creek Valley City would naturally not dare to agree to such a request, fearing that he would be captured and imprisoned if he went there, his fate uncertain.

However, he currently only has more than 2000 garrison troops, of which more than 1000 are newly recruited local civilians with little fighting power. Facing an elite force four times his size, he has no confidence in fighting back and has not fled entirely because Prince Jobs is here.

"How many men have we gathered now?" Prince Jobs asked Knight Everett beside him, looking through his telescope from a high tower on the city wall.

"We have now assembled about 2000 combat-ready Regas descendants, and 3000 soldiers recruited from more than a dozen nearby towns."

"Those 2000 descendants of Regas are mostly former minor nobles of Regas, or whose ancestors fought alongside the Knight King. Their strength is far superior to that of ordinary people, and with a little training, they can become qualified warriors."

"As for the 3000 newly recruited soldiers, most of them are civilians from the countryside and are still green recruits who cannot undertake important tasks."

New recruits have many problems. Sending them into the high-pressure battlefield environment rashly will cause a lot of defeats, break up our own formation, and cause the overall morale to collapse.

"Including the garrison in the city, there are barely seven thousand men." Prince Jobs felt that the chances of victory were slim.

"How could they spare so many men from the front lines? Aren't they afraid that the harsh winter will break their lines?" He knew that the situation facing the Kingdom of Antioch was dire, not much different from that of Regas at the time.

Unfortunately, no one around the prince could answer his question, as they all knew very little about the Kingdom of Antioch.

On the other side of the city wall, two figures were discussing the matter in a military tent far away.

"Uncle Hines, why do you think they were able to spare so many elite troops to come to Regas and suppress us?" The young man beside him asked, puzzled.

Upon hearing his question, the bearded man in leather armor looked into the distance and laughed, "You don't understand because you don't comprehend the Antioch royal family's thinking."

“That’s right. Fighting the Winter is already their limit, but they still can’t give up on Regas, or rather, this is where their hope lies.”

"Many of the old noble families in the Kingdom of Antioch have their wealth in Antioch. They are afraid of being conquered by the harsh winter, so they will naturally resist with all their might."

"But the Antioch royal family knows that continuing to fight against Winter is likely to be fraught with danger and unlikely to win. After conquering Regas, a large number of royal confidants were appointed and are currently based in various parts of Regas. Although their power is not strong enough, there are no other powerful local forces in these areas, which makes it easier for the Antioch royal family to control them."

“If Antioch falls, their royal family can simply abandon their former territory and move directly to Regas to continue their rule. As for covering the rear, that will naturally be left to the local nobles who have a vested interest in the matter.”

"But even if they come to Regas, the Kingdom of Winter will just keep chasing them, won't that solve the problem?" The young man beside him still didn't understand.

"We won't keep chasing them. Winter's territory is nestled among mountains, so supplies aren't easy to obtain. Antioch is at least not far from Winter's homeland, so it can barely hold on. If we reach Regas, the supply line will be too long."

"In addition, there is the Eagle Scorpion Kingdom. They are watching from the sidelines, and they cannot sit idly by while this long supply line is right in front of them, allowing Winter to continue to grow stronger."

"With Eagle Scorpion blocking our way, Winter cannot focus entirely on heading south. We must deal with it first before we can continue to expand southward. Eagle Scorpion and Antiga are not much different in strength, so they will not be easily defeated. They will probably hold out for a long time. This period of time will be enough for the Antiga royal family to take control of Regas."

"Wow, is it really that complicated?"

"Hehe, you'll gradually understand as you experience more things in the future," Hines patted the other person on the shoulder and replied with a smile.

“But…” he changed his mind.

"Currently, Valley City doesn't seem to have enough strength to resist this army. I wonder what action Prince Jobs will take."

"Will he fight to the end, or will he choose to abandon everyone and run away?"

“Rygard, the ‘Knight King’ whose bravery shone in the south and whose name was known throughout the mountains, your descendants may not have been as courageous and determined as you were back then…” Hines sighed.

(End of this chapter)